K-State Concludes 2003 Season With Split Series Against Kansas
May 13, 2003 | Baseball
May 13, 2003
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Probable Starting Rotation:
Friday -
Kansas: #7 Kevin Wheeler (Sr., LHP, 6-4, 4.90 ERA)
Kansas State: #39 Brett Bagley (Jr., LHP, 2-2, 5.91 ERA)
Saturday -
Kansas: #11 Ryan Knippschild (Jr., LHP, 8-3, 5.24 ERA)
Kansas State: 29 Jim Ripley (Jr., RHP, 3-7, 6.13 ERA)
Sunday -
Kansas: #43 Chris Smart (Jr., RHP, 1-5, 4.42 ERA)
Kansas State: #13 Kevin Melcher (Sr., RHP, 0-7, 8.45 ERA)
Series Information
Series History: Kansas leads the all-time series, 149-147-1, in this, the 298th, 299th and 300th meetings... It is the most played series in both schools' respective histories... The series dates back to 1897 in a 9-6 win by Kansas... The Wildcats have nine of the last 13 meetings since 1999, including the three-game sweep in 2002... K-State has won four of the last five in Manhattan and four of the last six in Lawrence.
Rankings: Neither Kansas State nor Kansas is ranked in any of the four major college baseball polls.
Coaches: K-State's Mike Clark is in 17th and final season with a record of 433-488 (.470)... He is 726-624 (.538) in his 24th season overall... Clark is 38-27 versus Kansas, including 17-15 at home and 21-12 on the road... Kansas' Ritch Price is in his first season with a record of 34-24 (.586)... He is 251-252 (.499) in his ninth season... Price has never faced K-State in nine years as a head coach.
Kansas State (13-36, 3-21 Big 12) ends its 103rd season of baseball this weekend, as the Wildcats play a split three-game series with archrival Kansas (34-24, 8-16 Big 12)... The first game will be played in Manhattan on Friday beginning at 7 p.m., while the remaining two contests will be played in Lawrence on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. ... The first game can be heard on the Mid-American Sports Network on eight affiliates across the state with Wyatt Thompson, Brian Smoller and Matt Walters calling the action, while the last two can be heard with Smoller and Walters at SportsRadio 1350 KMAN... As usual, the audio and live stats can also be obtained at www.kstatesports.com.Prior to Friday's game in Manhattan, the university will recognize eight seniors, including C/DH Ryan Baldwin, 1B Tim Doty, LHP Jonathan Gutierrez, RF Gabe Luttrell, RHP Kevin Melcher, LF Pat Maloney, 2B Brandon Taylor and SS Brett Williams, in a ceremony... Also, the program will pay tribute to 17-year head coach Mike Clark, who will be coaching his 416th and final home game at Kansas State after announcing his resignation on May 5... The all-time winningest coach in Kansas State baseball history, Clark is the only coach in any sport in K-State history to reach either the 300 or 400-win mark.Although eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament, K-State can still help determine the eight-team field, as the Jayhawks are just a half-game ahead of ninth-place Texas Tech for the eighth and final spot.
The Book on K-State
Kansas State ended a 10-game losing streak in Friday's 8-2 win over Oklahoma, but dropped the last two games of the series by scores of 10-8 and 22-6 to fall to 13-36 on the season and 3-21 in Big 12 Conference play... The Wildcats averaged over seven runs per game and nearly 10 hits per game in the series against the Sooners, but the pitching staff allowed the league's worst offensive team to score 34 runs on 40 hits, including 22 on Sunday - the most by a OU team since 1998.
Last Time Out: Oklahoma Clinches Series
Oklahoma blew open a 5-1 game with an eight-run fourth inning then added nine more in the seventh, as the Sooners clinched the season series with a 22-6 run-rule affair in seven innings on Sunday... It was the Sooners' first series win in Manhattan since 1994... The game came on the heels of an 8-2 win by the Wildcats on Friday and a 10-8 victory by the Sooners on Saturday... K-State hit .293 with 22 runs scored on 29 hits.Despite the loss, K-State got some impressive performance from a number of individuals... Sophomore RF Terry Blunt and senior LF Pat Maloney each hit over .500 for the series, while Maloney added a team-best five runs scored, five RBIs and two home runs... Junior LHP Brett Bagley picked up the win on Friday, as he allowed just two runs on five hits in seven innings pitched with a team season-high 10 strikeouts.
The Wildcat Offense
Kansas State has solid offensive team with a collective .280 batting average, while averaging 5.7 runs per game on 9.9 hits per game... All three statistics rank ninth in the Big 12.However, K-State are still trying to deal with the loss of two of its stronger bats with the season-ending injuries to RF Gabe Luttrell and 3B Ty Soto... The two represent nearly 20 percent of the team's run, hit and RBIs totals in 2003.Without the duo, the offense is led by the senior trio of 1B Tim Doty, LF Pat Maloney and C Ryan Baldwin, who represent nearly 40 percent of the team's run and hit total... Doty paces the team in average (.341), hits (62), runs scored (44), home runs (9), total bases (99), slugging percentage (.544) and is second in RBIs (38)... Baldwin leads in RBIs (50), doubles (15) and multiple-RBI games (17) and is tied with Maloney for the lead in multiple-hit games (18)... Maloney also paces in walks (24) and at-bats (192) and is second in runs scored (37), doubles (13) and home runs (7).
The Wildcat Pitching Staff
The injury-plagued pitching staff enters the weekend with a league-worst 7.48 ERA after 49 games... The staff is allowing nearly nine runs per game on 12.1 hits, including 9.9 runs and 12.6 hits per game in Big 12 play... Junior RHP Jim Ripley paces the staff in wins (3), starts (12), innings pitched (61.2) and strikeouts (50), while he is second in ERA (6.13)... Senior RHP Kevin Melcher also has 12 starts in 2003, while he is second in innings pitched (54.1)... Junior LHP Brett Bagley is second in strikeouts (47) and innings pitched (56.1) and third in appearances (15).Top relievers for the Wildcats include RHPs Andrew Ehling, Eric Rollins and Allan Woodward and LHP Sean Clancy, who have all pitched over 30 innings each this season... The designated closer, Rollins leads the team in appearances (22), wins (3) and saves (5) and is third in strikeouts (32).
The Book on Kansas
One of the league's most improved teams, Kansas enters the three-game series with a 34-24 overall record and 8-16 mark in Big 12 Conference play... The Jayhawks are currently in eighth place in the league standings in the final week of the regular season... KU is just a game behind seventh-place Oklahoma (9-15) and a half-game behind ninth-place Texas Tech (7-16)... TheJayhawks have lost eight of their last 10, including three in a row to No. 12 Texas A&M last weekend... KU is equally impressive at home as on the road, posting a 15-10 mark in Lawrence and a 16-13 record away from home.A solid offensive team, Kansas boasts a .308 batting average in 58 games with 390 runs scored (6.7 per game) on 616 hits (10.6 per game), including 189 extra-base hits... Six players are hitting better than .300, including a team-best .393 average by LF Casey Spanish... Spanish also paces the team in runs (52), triples (7) and slugging percentage (.645)... 1B Ryan Baty is the team leader in hits (90), doubles (19), home runs (10), RBIs (56) and total bases (143)... OF/LHP Kevin Wheeler and 3B Travis Metcalf are tied with Baty for the home run lead with 10 each.The pitching staff lists a 5.26 ERA in 496.2 innings pitched with 346 strikeouts and 194 walks... Friday night's starter Kevin Wheeler leads the staff in ERA (4.90), strikeouts (68) and starts (14), while Saturday starter Ryan Knippschild leads in wins (8) and innings pitched (101.1)... Sunday starter Chris Smart has eight starts and posts a 4.42 ERA and 1-5 record.Kansas is coached by first-year head coach Ritch Price, who came to Lawrence after an eight-year stint at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
2002 Review: K-State Sweeps Series
Kansas took all three games of the split series on May 18-19, 2002 by scores of 11-9, 7-4 and 9-0... The first game was in Lawrence, while the last two were in Manhattan... The Wildcats hit .346 with 27 runs scored on 37 hits, including 16 extra-base hit, compared to the Jayhawks' .245 average with 13 runs scored on 23 hits... Senior SS Brett Williams paced the K-State attack with a .455 average with a team-best six RBIs and four runs scored, while senior C/DH Ryan Baldwin hit .444 with three RBIs... Senior 1B Tim Doty added three RBIs and four runs scored to go with a .417 batting average... Senior LHP Jonathan Gutierrez earned Big 12 co-Pitcher of the Week accolades after he tossed a seven-inning, four-hit complete game shutout with seven strikeouts.
K-State-Kansas Connections
Kansas State has 11 players on its roster from the state of Kansas, including starters RF Terry Blunt (Andover), LF Pat Maloney (Overland Park), SS Brett Williams (Pratt) and RHP Kevin Melcher (Overland Park)... Other include RHP Frank Bauer (Hutchinson), 1B Chris Carlson (Topeka), RHP Andrew Ehling (Hutchinson), RHP Jon Mallett (Topeka), 2B Brandon Taylor (Parsons) and RHP Danny Wilson... Kansas has 10 players on its roster from the state, including starters 2B Matt Baty, 1B Ryan Baty and OF Travis Metcalf... Three other Wildcats - C Josh Heinrich, OF Gabe Luttrell and OF Brian Patty - all played at junior colleges in Kansas... KU RHP Brandon Johnson played at the same junior college (Hutchinson) as Ehling and Bauer... KU RHP Don Czyz and Melcher played at the same high school (Blue Valley).
Soto, Luttrell End Season With Injuries
Junior 3B Ty Soto and senior RF Gabe Luttrell are expected to be out for the reminder of the season after sustaining wrist injuries... Soto fractured his left wrist while trying to score in a 6-4 loss to Texas A&M on April 11, while Luttrell strained ligaments in his right wrist while diving for a ball in practice on April 17... Both have already had successful surgery to repair the damage.A 2002 first team All-Big 12 and All-Big 12 Tournament selection, Soto was one of the Wildcats' most consistent offensive weapons this season... He led the team in multiple-hit games (16), walks (23) and on-base percentage (.471), while he ranked second in batting average (.360), hits (45), home runs (six) and slugging percentage (.568)... Soto had started 75 consecutive games at either second, third or designated hitter for the Wildcats since March 15, 2002. In his two plus years, he has a career .343 average in 132 games played and 124 starts with 87 runs and 161 hits.Luttrell saw action in 31 games, including 28 starts before the injury... He is still first on the team in stolen bases and third in runs scored (31).
Saunders Excelling In Place of Soto
Kansas State lost one of its most valuable weapons when junior 3B Ty Soto went down with a season-ending injury on April 11... However, junior 3B Zack Saunders has proven to be a capable replacement... Since taking over for Soto on April 15, Saunders leads the team in hits (17), home runs (4) and RBIs (11), while is second in average (.293) and runs (8)... For his efforts, Saunders was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on April 22 after hitting .467 in three starts with team-highs in runs (4), hits (7), home runs (3) and RBIs (8)... He provided the heroics in the 10-8 win over Texas Tech on April 18, as he blasted the second of his two home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to snap the Wildcats' school and Big 12-record 16-game losing streak.
Doty Named To Academic All-District Team
For the third time in his career, senior 1B Tim Doty was named to the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District VII team on May 8... He will now move onto the national ballot where he can be selected as one of 33 players to receive recognition to either the first, second or third Academic All-American teams.Doty, who maintains a 3.53 GPA in Accounting/ Pre-Law was one of 11 players named to the team, including four Big 12 players... Doty's selection marks the third time in his career he has been named to the team after earning it in 2000 and 2002... He is the first and only Wildcat to be a multiple selection.The only player to start in all 49 games, Doty leads the team in seven categories, including average (.341), runs scored (44), hits (62), home runs (9), slugging (.544) and on-base percentage (.433) and putouts (385)... He also ranks second in RBIs (38).
Melcher Sets Level of Consistency
The elder statesman of the Wildcat pitching staff, senior RHP Kevin Melcher has shown an incredible level of consistency in his three years in the program.A three-year starter after transferring from TCU in 2001, Melcher has made 43 career appearances, including 36 starts... His next start will give him sole possession of third on the K-State career chart... Jon Oiseth (47, 1994-97) and Eric Yanz (45, 1994-97) rank 1-2 in career starts... Melcher presently is tied with Jason Wells (1996-2000) for the third-most... His 197.2 innings pitched also rates among the school's career Top 10, ranking 10th... He is within 4-1/3 innings away from surpassing Chris Traylor (1995-98) for ninth place (202.0)... He also ranks among the career Top 10 in losses (15, T5th), hits allowed (251, 7th) and runs allowed (157, 8th).During his career, Melcher has compiled an 8-15 mark and 5.28 ERA in 197.2 innings pitched with 101 strikeouts and 52 walks... He has faced an incredible 912 batters... He has lasted five or more innings 19 times, including six or more on 14 occasions.
Not Your Everyday Lineup
When you are suffering through a difficult season, you will try anything to change the momentum... Kansas State has only used the same lineup only five times in 2003 with a different lineup in 44 of the team's 49 games... The same lineup was used in games two and three, games 12 and 14, games 24 and 25, games 35 and 38 and games 40 and 41... The Wildcats used the same lineup in back-to-back games against Texas for the first time since the Missouri series on March 28-30... The team has used five different leadoff hitters (Brad Anzman, Terry Blunt, Marc Chabot, Gabe Luttrell and Pat Maloney)... The eighth spot has seen the most change with 10 different players occupying at least one start, while the six and seven holes have seen eight players each... The most consistent spots are three-hole and clean-up spot where senior OF Pat Maloney has hit third in 37 games and senior 1B Tim Doty has 44 starts at cleanup...Senior SS Brett Williams and sophomore RF Terry Blunt have seen the most change with starts at six different positions in the lineup... Williams has hitsecond (10), fifth (3), sixth (7), seventh (15), eighth (6) and ninth (5), while Blunt has hit lead-off (7), second (12), sixth (1), seventh (8), eighth (1) and ninth (8).
Scoring with Two Outs
Despite being down two outs in an inning, Kansas State has shown an impressive streak of scoring runs this year... Of the 278 runs scored, 128 or 46.0 percent of them, have been scored with two outs in an inning... In 40 of the 48 games this season, the team has scored at least one run in each game with two outs... During the team's Spring Break trip, the Wildcats scored 38 of their 65 runs (58.5 percent) with two outs in an inning, including a season-best 14 in the 21-2 romp over Rider... The team also scored 10 of its 17 runs against nationally-ranked Florida International with two outs... This is particularly telling in the last eight wins for Kansas State, where over 55 percent of the Wildcats' runs (47 of 85) have come with two outs... This trend is nothing new for the Wildcats in the last two years... Of the 416 runs scored in 2002, 156 (37.5 percent) were scored with two outs in an inning... In the Big 12 Tournament, 14 of the 24 runs were scored down two outs.
Maloney Quickly Moving Up the Career Charts
Senior OF Pat Maloney ranks among the Kansas State career Top 10 in an amazing 15 offensive categories, while he has a chance to join two other lists as the season progresses.The chart below lists how the fifth-year senior ranks among each of these career records going into the week... He needs two triples and one sacrifice hit to move into those career Top 10s... Already in the career Top 5 in five categories (runs, hits, singles, home runs and total bases) and six games to play, he could finish in the top-5 in starts, games and walks.
Maloney Sees Two Milestones End in 2003
Senior OF Pat Maloney has seen two major streaks end in 2003... One for consecutive games started (153) and the other for consecutive games reaching base (58).He saw his consecutive games started streak end at 153 on March 16 against St. Peter's in the Papa John's Challenge in Homestead, Fla. ... It marked the first time since his redshirt freshman season in 2000 that he had failed to start a game in either the outfield or designated hitter... Ironically enough, the streak started on the same field against Ohio State on March 24, 2000... He ranks fifth in both games played (196) and games started (189).With a 0-for-4 performance on April 4 against nationally-ranked Oklahoma State, Maloney saw his amazing streak of reaching base end at 58 games... Ironically, it marked the first time since the Cowboys did it on March 23, 2002 that Maloney was held off the base paths... Maloney had reached base in every game since the C.W. Post (the 25th game of 2002) on March 26, 2002 by either hit, walk, hit by pitch or fielder's choice... During this 58-game span, Maloney hit .375 (89-for-237) with 63 runs scored, 46 RBIs, 40 walks, 17 doubles, two triples and eight home runs... In fact, he reached base via a hit in 50 of the 58 contests... In all, he has reached base in 94 of the Wildcats' last 103 games, including 75 of the last 81 games... Even more impressive than the 58-game streak is the fact that Maloney has recorded a hit in nearly 80 percent of the games he has played at K-State with at least one in 155 of the 196 games he has played since debuting in 2000... So far in 2003, he has a hit in 37 of the 48 games he's played in.
Everybody's All-American
Senior 1B Tim Doty has come along way since entering Kansas State in the fall of 1998... The fifth-year senior is not only having one of his finest seasons on the field, but he is also continuing to excel off the field... The Oklahoma City, Okla., native became the Wildcats' first three-time Academic All-District VII first team selection after earning the award on May 8... He has a chance to become K-State's second first team Academic All-American and the first since Jeff Ryan earned it in 1991.The only player to start in all 49 games, Doty currently leads the seven offensive catgories, including batting average (.341), runs scored (44), hits (62), home runs (9), slugging (.544) and on-base percentage (.433) and putouts (385).... He is also second in RBIs (38) and walks (23)... His current .341 average is 10 points higher than his junior mark of .330, while his nine home runs surpass his career total of the last three years... Nearly 40 percent of his hit, doubles, run and RBI totals have come in 2003... He has at least one hit in 39 of the 49 games and has gone back-to-back games without a hit just twice.
Rollins Excelling As Wildcat Closer
Sophomore RHP Eric Rollins has had a hand in more than half of Kansas State's 13 wins in 2003, as the Wildcats' new closer has been responsible for three wins and five saves this season... He recorded a win and a save in the team's first Big 12 series against Texas Tech, as he allowed just one run on four hits in four innings with two strikeouts.The native of Ada, Okla., paces the team in appearances (22), wins (3) and saves (5)... He has 32 strikeouts to just nine walks on the season... He has allowed just 14 runs off 34 hits in 27.2 innings of relief in 21 total appearances with 30 strikeouts and seven walks... In fact, half his 14 runs came in two relief outings... He has not allowed a run in 13 of his 22 appearances, including none in six outings.
What a Game!
Kansas State made history in a number of ways in its 18th-inning 8-7 loss to Troy State on March 2.
- The 18-inning affair lasted a school-record five hours and 22 minutes and finished at 1:02 a.m., shattering the previous school-record of four hours and 45 minutes set vs. Texas Tech on April 5, 2002.
- It broke the school record for the longest game by three innings, surpassing the 15-inning contest throw against Creighton at home on March 23, 1986 and 15-inning affair at Texas Tech on April 5, 2002.
- There were nearly 532 pitches thrown in the game. Kansas State threw 288 pitches, while Troy State tossed 244 on the evening. The Wildcats had two 100-pitch performances (Jim Ripley and Brett Bagley). The Trojans used five different pitchers.
- K-State set four (4) team school-record for at-bats (67), putouts (51), total chances (71) and innings pitched (18).
- After Troy State tied it in the bottom of the eighth inning, the teams matched each other run-for-run, scoring one each in the 11th inning and two each in the 16th inning before the Trojans outscored the Wildcats, 2-1, in the pivotal 18th inning.
Connors State North
In the Wildcats' 15-2 win over Creighton on Feb. 18, Kansas State had four players - 1B Zack Saunders, SS Marc Chabot, DH Ryan Baldwin and SP Jim Ripley - in its starting lineup from the same junior college, Connors State College in Warner, Okla. ... Baldwin is in his second year in the program, while the other three are in their first year after helping the Shabs to a 44-8 overall record and a No. 8 ranking in the final NJCAA poll in 2002... Chabot, Ripley and Saunders were named first team All-Region II for the Connors, including Chabot being named the region's Defensive Player of the Year... Chabot and Saunders combined for 81 runs scored on 86 hits with 78 RBIs, while Ripley ranked third in the NJCAA with 94 strikeouts en route to tallying a 9-2 mark in 12 appearances with two complete games.
Cape Crusaders
Two Wildcats - Pat Maloney and Ty Soto - played in the prestigious all-wood bat Cape Cod League during the summer of 2002... Soto played for the league champion Wareham (Mass.) Gatemen where he played alongside Baylor's Chris Durbin, Josh Ford, David Murphy and Trey Taylor and Texas' Tim Moss... Soto posted a .226 batting average for the Gateman in 34 games with eight runs scored on 24 hits and nine RBIs... He was third on the team with 15 walks... Maloney played for the Brewster (Mass.) Whitecaps where he played alongside San Diego State's Anthony Gwynn and Missouri's Justin James and Jayce Tingler... Maloney led the Whitecaps in RBIs (22), doubles (seven), triples (two) and home runs (three) with 15 runs scored on 31 hits.
Night baseball returns to Manhattan
For the first time in nearly five years, night baseball returns to Tointon Family Stadium as the Wildcats host 11 evening contests, including non-conference contests with Arkansas, Wichita State, SE Missouri State and Washington and Big 12 tilts with Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas... The first night game was scheduled for Tuesday, March 4 against Wichita State at 6 p.m., but inclement weather delayed it until the Arkansas on March 7 ... The Shockers were the Wildcats' last opponent to play under the lights at Tointon Stadium on May 6, 1998... Completed in early December, the lighting system boosts 152 fixtures mounted on eight poles... Together, they provide 100 footcandles in the infield and 70 footcandles to the outfield, which meet Class I IEC standards for collegiate baseball venues and produce nearly three times the amount of illumination as the former field lighting.
Tough Schedule Awaits 'Cats in 2003
Eleven NCAA Tournament teams, including defending national champion Texas and College World Series participant Nebraska, highlight the 2003 Kansas State baseball schedule... In addition to the Longhorns and Cornhuskers, the 59-game schedule features battles with NCAA Tournament foes Arkansas, Baylor, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Oklahoma, SE Missouri State, Washington and Wichita State... In all, the schedule includes 30 games against NCAA Regional teams, including 11 against Super Regional teams, and 18 contests with teams ranked in the final Baseball America Top 25 or the Collegiate Baseball Top 30 polls.
K-State Announces the Signing of Eight
Kansas State announced the signing of eight players to national letters of intent on Dec. 16 to play baseball at K-State, beginning in 2004... The class includes four junior college players and four freshmen... OF Josh Dent, RHP Trey Felts and LHP Jeff Walker are from junior colleges in Texas, while RHP Chris Huseman is from the Community College of Southern Nevada... IFs Casey Morgan (Ardmore, Okla.), Ryan Saltzgaber (Abilene, Texas) and Brett Scott (Manhattan, Kan.) and RHP Jason Sullivan (Joplin, Mo.) are all from the high school ranks.
